– FRANKLIN VS SILVA SET: UFC 99 WEIGH-IN RESULTS

UFC 99
takes place Saturday in Cologne, Germany. It marks the first time the promotion
has landed in the country. Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and
former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will meet in a special
195-pound catchweight bout in the main event.

All the
bouts are now official as none of the fighters had trouble making weight.

Both Franklin
and Silva weighed in at 194 pounds.

Silva was
all smiles from ear-to-ear as he was warmly received by the
German crowd. "Of course I like to give my best. Cheer for me
tomorrow," he told UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan at the end of the weigh-ins.

"I
think 195 would be the perfect weight class if it did exist," commented
Franklin on their catchweight limit.

"It’s
an honor and a privilege to step in the Octagon with a guy like Wanderlei
Silva, who’s got one of the most intense staredowns in the business; I’ve been
working on mine," he quipped.

Cain
Velasquez tipped the scales at 239 pounds for his heavyweight bout with Cheick
Kongo, who weighed 230. This is an important bout for the UFC as it is likely
to determine one of the next challengers to the heavyweight title after Brock
Lesnar and Frank Mir unify the belts at UFC 100 in
July.

Both Dan
Hardy and Marcus Davis – who have a sort of grudge match going on –
received a smattering of "boos" when they made their way to the
stage. Despite the heat between the two, there were no problems during their
face-off.

Mirko
"Cro Cop" Filipovic received a warm reception from the German crowd,
returning to the UFC to face Mustapha Al-Turk. He last competed in the Octagon in
a losing effort to Kongo at UFC 75 nearly two years ago.

There was a
little pushing and shoving as the preliminary fighters weighed in. Stefan
Struve and Denis Stojnic had to be separated, as did Roli Delgado and Paul
Kelly.